BAKU: Norway Prepared To Assist Azerbaijan In Karabakh Issue

NORWAY PREPARED TO ASSIST AZERBAIJAN IN KARABAKH ISSUE

Trend News Agency
April 29 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 29 April / Trend News corr. K.Ramazanova / Norway
is prepared to assist Azerbaijan to restore its occupied territories
after the conflict is solved.

"We are concerned about the occupation of Azerbaijani territories
and describe it as a tragedy," Jonas Gahr Store, Norwegian Foreign
Minister, stated in the meeting with Azerbaijani students in Baku.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

Store stated that any unsolved conflicts hinder the development in
the region. " Norway supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
and stands for the peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh," the Norwegian Minister stated.

Store will meet with Elmar Mammadyarov, the Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister on 29 April.

The joint Norwegian-Azerbaijani statement to develop friendship and
partner relations was signed in Oslo in December 2007. The document
envisages discussions between the countries in the sphere of policy
and security, the development of cooperation in the economy sector
including energy, and mutual investments, education, science and
culture. Furthermore, the document reflects the cooperation within
the framework of international organizations and integration into
the Euro Atlantic organizations.